Car woes

[gategrrl]

Things that need repairing on my 2001 Honda Civic:

Transmission/cat converter (this model year has a particular design problem with it; dealership is charging me "only" 25% of the retail price)
Cracked Exhaust Manifold (ALSO a design flaw with this and other sister model years)
Engine Mount--front one is broken. Yay.
Front Struts leaking.
Front suspension "rubber" bushing is broken on both sides.
Broken stabilizer links, also in the front.

Total quoted? Not including the Transmission, $2,944.00

What am I going to pay in the meantime for a minor tune-up, and the transmission? $1200 plus or minus. Can't wait to hear the final total on THAT.  I won't be getting MY car back until perhaps Thursday, and in the meantime I'm driving a loaner car from the dealership. I am so farked.

Thank you, Honda, for producing a car that was wonderful--up until NOW.  It has only 87,000 miles on it. And all this crap is happening?

Comments

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Gyah! That just blows. Have you asked people you trust for a recommended mechanic (I'm assuming the car isn't under warranty)? Sometimes a good mechanic can do the work much cheaper, and it'll be just as good quality. Some of them know how to go to a junkyard and get a part from a newish car that got totaled for next to nothing and pass on the savings to you, for example.

...of course, that was in TN, where people did not always charge the absolute maximum they conceivably could, just because they could. But it might be worth looking into.

[khek.livejournal.com]

Uh-oh...have you read anywhere that 2002 Honda Civics have similar problems..?

Good luck getting things done. Maybe it will cost less than quoted? If you were in Vermont, I could tell you a good mechanic, but... (You'll notice that I didn't say MA, where I live. I bring my car to my parent's mechanic, 130 miles away because I trust him.)

[jennywren102.livejournal.com]

Erm... We have a 1997 Saturn Wagon with nearly 200,000 miles on her and she still runs like a charm. But of course, that was way back when Saturn was staill "A Different Kind Of Company, A Different Kind Of Car." Not so sure I'd trust them nowadays. I'm just sayin'.